The Watcher
by Quesun
Summary: A series of brutal murders had been occouring on the inner west of New York. There's always one thing linking these cases together; the victims where all women in their 20's with red hair. But April didn't have to worry. Nothing would happen to her right?
1. Prologue

Greetings fellow readers, I am "The Quesun" from a land far, far away. It is an honor to meet you all and I hope this story would prove satisfactory to everyone. It's just something I made up from watching stuff like CSI.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ninja turtles. Yada, yada, yada.

**Prologue**

The third victim had fallen at the hour of twelve, on Friday, the 27th of July. That day Julia Montgomery had driven home, doing over 80 k's an hour on the abandoned freeway. She hoped Jamie was asleep, and even though it ached to think about her baby son home all alone, something else told her there was no other way. He'll be all right, she convinced herself as the old flood of guilt ate at her conscience, he's a smart boy, like his father . . . he's all right. Even so, her heart seems to beat faster as she pulled up along Darwin Street, yes; just a few blocks and she'll see Jamie. Yes . . . and Jamie will be sound asleep in his bed, no harm would've come to him. Julia longed for the moment she'd walked in on her sleeping son.

At 11:50, Julia's car was finally in the driveway. Almost tripping over the sidewalk, she belted across the street. Jamie, she thought, it's okay, mommy's home, mommy will be with you soon. She gasped in relief as she finally reached her doorsteps, one sweaty hand fumbled for the house keys while the other reached longing for the knob. Then she froze.

The door was not locked.

For a split second, a horrifying though struck Julia's heart. Had her son woken to the cold, empty house? Had he found that mommy's left him in the night? Had he stumbled out into the dark, alone and terrified, desperately looking for the one person who'd promised to take care of him? No. . . .Julia drew a shuttering breath then bounded into the house. I'm dreaming her mind screamed as she raced down the corridor; I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming! One more step, one more step and- "Jamie!!" she screamed, busting into her son's tiny room.

And there he was. Julia's little boy, all tucked away in bed, with two wide little eyes staring straight at her.

"Mommy?"

It's a miracle . . . . .

"Mommy?"

It's really him, he's okay.

"What happened!" Julia demanded, throwing herself onto her son. She hugged him as tightly as she could. "Why did you open the door you stupid boy!? Do you even realize how much danger you where in!?" By then she was crying, her breaths came out in long shuttering sobs of joy and relief. She hardly even heard her baby speak. "But mommy, I didn't open the door. That nice man did." Julia suddenly stopped breathing. "What?" she choked in alarm. "What man?" she asked in a soft voice, pulling away from her son. Jamie just stared at her and smiled, he didn't seemed moved at all by his mother's tears. "Jamie, what man are you talking about?" Julia cried in a much harder voice, her hands griped Jamie's shoulders tightly. "He's in the kitchen." the tiny boy before her replied, suddenly whispering, "Please don't send him out, he's a really nice man."

That was enough for Julia, she immediately let go of her son. "Stay here baby." she warned "And don't come out till I'm back to get you." With that she closed the door behind her and ran in the direction of the kitchen. As she reached the entrance, her steps slowed to a cautious walk. Gut instinct told her to grip the broom nearby as a form of defense. Her breaths where sharp and quick, her heart was racing. She slowly pushed open the door . . .

But there was no one.

Julia stood absolutely still and scanned the kitchen. No sound, no movement. No one. Perhaps her son was dreaming? Julia thought, her breaths slowed to a normal rate. Her grip on the broomstick relaxed a bit. There was a creak behind her, the door suddenly closed. Julia gasped shock, she turned and stumbled back. A tall cloaked man stood before her, his face covered by a rabbit masked that belonged to Jamie. The smiling rabbit-face was holding a knife. Julia screamed, horrified. She immediately swung the broomstick as hard as she could at the man's face. It was blocked easily. Julia fell back in pain as the man kicked her in the stomach. She felt him grab her short red hair, and pull. Her whole body was forced to sit up in searing pain. Then Julia felt the knife at her throat. She cried in fear, her only thoughts now on her baby. What would become of him once she was killed? What would this man do to him?

Julia felt cold moist breaths to her face. She knew the man was right next to her, breathing against her. She shuddered. "I know . . .you're afraid." The cloaked man hissed in a lowly voice. It sounded static, as if it was broadcasted from a poor radio. Julia's heart skipped a beat. The man continued, his face almost pressed against her ear. "But don't fear, I am a good man. I really am." He laughed heartly, but it was like ice through Julia's heart. "W-What do you want." She whimpered fearfully trying catch glimpse of him. "So I'll give you a chance." The man continued, completely ignoring her. "You will see my face and kiss me. If you do, I will spare your life. But you must like it, you must make it passionate." Julia was silent, her heart was in her throat, she could hear it's every beat.

"Now kiss me!" the static voice laughed in a high pitched voice, Julia was suddenly thrown to the ground, groaning. She blinked, terrified; the man was now right on top of her. "Kiss me!" He demanded. One bony hand tore recklessly at his mask, he continued to laugh uncontrollably. I'll kiss him, Julia thought, I'll have to kiss him. Then I'll kick him, as hard was I can and escape with Jamie. Yes, this is my only chance. She looked up determinedly at the man's face. His mask finally came off. For a few seconds, all Julia could see was the cloak that covered his face. She held her breath in dreaded wait. Then she saw it. From an inch below it, she saw the thing that really lied beneath.

Julia screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed, beyond fear, beyond sanity. She was still screaming as the knife was plunged into her chest. Still screaming as she lay helpless in a pool of blood. She screamed all the way to death, in her small apartment in Darwin Street, on the lonely Friday night of July the 27th.

From another apartment a few blocks down, a young woman named April O'Neil was abruptly jolted from sleep.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not sure where April lives so I just made up the street name.)

**Prologue End**

Well? how as it? Sorry it was so short, I promise the next chapter would be longer. Please review and tell me what you think!


	2. A death next door

Hey guys! First off I would like to thank everyone for reviewing, it made me so happy to see that people actually pay attention to the stuff I write! Anyways, I'm trying my best to update with everything going on, so bear with me please. Once again thanks to all of you kind people who reviewed!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ninja Turtles, a surprise isn't it?

**Chapter 1**

_Bring-bring-bring_

April rolled over in her bed, groaning. Her head felt like a rock, half swallowed by the softness of her pillow. Her throat was painfully dry from lack of moisture; it felt disgusting. God I feel awful, she thought, I must be sick.

_Bring-bring-bring_

What was that sound?

_Bring-bring-bring_

The phone! April jerked up immediately. Her static red hair fell in pieces all over her pale face. "Who the hell . . ." she muttered, snatching up the speaker. Her lips where dry and cracked, she licked them and pushed back her hair. "Hello?" There was a moment of hesitation, then a sharp, perky voice erupted from the other end. It made April jump with surprise. "April! What took you so long? I was worried something had happened!" "Hey mum." April answered without asking. She took the opportunity to switch on the lights, then slumped back onto her bed again; her eyes squinted from the sudden brightness. "Listen, this really isn't a good time." she continued in a dull tone. Karen O Neil ignored her daughter's comment "Turn on the television darling." she said instead.

"What?"

"I said turn it on. Come on, channel six. Hurry now."

April made a weird face, her parents can be so odd, both of them. "Alright . . ." she replied hesitantly, "I'm turning on the TV." Fortunately for her, there was an old box set right in the bedroom. It had be tainted and fixed; a little present from Donnatello for letting him borrow the handy-man set. The screen flashed and blurred for a few seconds before clearing to reveal the opening of the late-night news. "What's this about?" April inquired with some degree of curiosity. "Just watch!" her mother urged impatiently.

The breaking story was on the recent discovery of a body in New York's inner west and how police are now suspecting a link between it and some other case, which happened a few weeks before. The victims where young women by the names of Johanna Dawn and Sarah Lawson, both had died of stabs wounds. "You see!" Mrs. O Neil was saying at the other end of the line, (she was obviously also watching the news from her house.) "New York's inner west. Isn't that where you're staying?"

"Uh . . ." April could finally see where this is going. "Mum . . . don't worry. I'll be fine. Really." "Oh you always say that!" the phone snapped back at her "But you're still a child April, I can see you're still that stubborn little girl. You need to be more careful" April signed again. Her mother can be so paranoid, calling three times a week. Ever since I moved into dad's antique shop she's been on my back, April thought as she half listened to her mum's lecture. "-And you need to find yourself a real job." Karen was saying "One that actually pays, you can't make a living out of your father's old shack you know." "Yeah, yeah." April replied, finding entertainment in fiddling with the phone cord. Thinking back, Karen O Neil and her husband had moved away from the city when April was nineteen. They now lived peacefully on the outskirts of New York, with not much to do but rest and relax. It was in these times that Mrs. O Neil developed a habit of fussing over her long-distance daughter.

"April listen." Karen said firmly "If you want to move in with me and your father for a while that's great. We're right here for you and you know that." "But I'm fine!" April protested. "I love the shop and I take good care of it." she hesitated a second "Besides, I have some new friends who have helped me. A-lot." There was a moment's silence. April wondered whether she'd done the right thing by stating she had friends. "Friends?" Mrs. O Neil said finally. "What friends?" "Well . . .." April felt reluctant to answer. Oh what the hell, she thought. I don't have to state that they're not exactly human. Who'd expect that? "Well there's Leo." She replied "And then there's Don, Raph, Mikey and Ma –uh. Mr. Splinter. Oh, and Stella and Amber." She quickly finished. (It wouldn't sound to good if all her new acquaintances where male.) "I see . . ." Mrs. O Neil muttered suspiciously. There was more silence on the other end; April felt her heart pace up a notch. Karen coughed and cleared her throat a bit, then she changed to a much more serious tone. "April" she whispered, as if not daring to ask. "Do you . . . have a boyfriend?"

April felt dumbstruck by the question. "Um . . .Uh . . ." she spluttered nervously. A picture of a certain dark haired young man suddenly appeared in her head. Casey? Of course! April thought; she'd forgot to mention Casey as one of her friends! "Well?" Mrs. O Neil snapped, once again getting impatient. Her foot tapped furiously on the ground, so loudly you could hear it on the other line. April flushed, Casey's face once again popped into her head. "N-No!" She replied abruptly, nearly choking on her answer. By then she was off the bed and standing with the phone held dramatically infront of her. "No boyfriends ma!" she repeated, sounding more human this time. Why am I so worked up anyway? April thought as she got back to bed. Casey's not my boyfriend after all; he's just a friend. Isn't he? _Isn't he?_

"Okay then." Mrs. O Neil signed tiredly. "Oh April," she moaned "I really do get worried about you sometimes. Just be careful alright?" "Alright mum." April promised. "It's late, I'd better go now okay?" "That's fine" her mother answered. "Good night April." The phone went dead on Karen's side. April just sat for a moment, listening to the continuous dial tone on the other end. Then she also hanged up, unfortunately now feeling wide-awake. This is going to be one hell of a long night, she thought as she flicked through TV channels for a late night movie.

> 

Leonardo breathed in a breath of fresh air and held it. He stretched his weary limbs and formed a lotus position in the middle of the lair. Then he let the air out of his lungs in a deep relaxing sign. It was 5:47 in the morning. Well, at least it was his idea of a morning; Leo was always the first of his brothers to be up. From the east lair he heard a scurry of movement. Master Splinter must also be up, Leo thought. Sure enough, a few minutes later an old rat appeared at the lounge room's entrance. "Good morning Leonardo." He kindly greeted his eldest son. "Morning Sensei" Leo replied without moving. It was important in mediation to maintain a position until the right time. Master Splinter understood this better than anyone. "I will leave you for now." he insisted before heading for the kitchen. Leo heard footsteps, then creak of the cupboard door, some jingling of cups and a soft _clonk_ as the cupboard was closed. Master Splinter re-appeared holding a steaming pot of tea and an old book he had been reading for sometime. Head headed back to his room, mentioning something to Leo about not having breakfast.

A while later Raph and Don awoke as well, unfortunately at the same time. Luckily, Don was quick to spot the signs that Raph was not in a waiting mood and smartly let him wash up first. His wise action avoided yet another morning argument between him and Leo. Had it have happened, it would've probably been something stupid like "Why didn't you tell me that movie was on the other night?" But Don was not much of a morning person himself, which made it difficult to have a conversation with him at that time of day. "Morning Leo." He said flatly as his brother stood up (Leo obviously saw no use in meditation now that Mikey was dew to be awake.) "Morning." Leo answered with much more enthusiasm; unlike the others, he felt best in the morning. "Say," He asked casually as he crossed to the kitchen, "Is Mikey up yet?" Don just shrugged and rubbed his eyes. He really couldn't care less, after all; it's Saturday why not just let Mikey sleep in?

An hour later, every one except Mikey and Splinter where at the table. Raph, seemingly in a much better mood now, had offered to make bacon and eggs. Thankfully, Leo took him off the idea by suggesting they just have cereal. "You know what?" Raph was saying through a mouthful of corn flakes, "Somebody should really go and drag Mikey out of bed. Before it eats him alive or something." Don nodded in agreement, helping himself to a few spoonfuls of cereal, then jumped as a new voice came from somewhere behind him. "There's no need for that, I'm still alive." it croaked. Leo, who was pouring milk into his bow that second, split a large quantity over the side. Everyone at the table focused on the youngest turtle who had just stumbled out of his room.

Mikey looked dead. Well, pretty close to death anyway. His eyes had dark shadows under then, his face was pale as slate, his whole figure looked as though it was weighed down by a semi-trailer. "Ah, Mikey? Are you okay?" Leo asked cautiously. "ATCHOO!!" Mikey answered. "Sorry bros." he sniffed, rubbing his nose "I think I'll avoid any food as a safety precaution." With that he coughed, swayed and went right back into his room. Slamming the door unintentionally on the way. Leo, Raph and Don all stared at the closed room in awe. "Uh, I think we should tell Splinter about this." Raph suggested. Leo agreed with that statement, without a word he took off in the direction of east lair. The phone ring stopped him abruptly in his tracks.

"Hello?" It was Don who picked up. Leo looked on curiously as his brother's facemorphed from surprised to concerned. "April? Is that you? . . . What's wrong . . . . .. No, the TV's not on." Raph wiped his mouth impatiently. "What is it?" he demanded, Don signaled him to hush and walked over to the remote. It was lying faced down on the sofa where Mikey had left it the night before. The TV was switched on, Leo and Raph watched in confusion as Donny flicked to channel six. "And in other news, a gruesome discovery was made by garbage collector Sam Harris earlier today . . .." A news-lady announced on screen "The body of yet another victim of whom the police have dubbed; New York's latest serial killer. Julia Montgomery was found in her apartment with seven stab wounds to her chest and abdomen. Inspectors are fearing the worst for the victim's son who disappeared . . ." the TV drones on, and there was silence in the lair. "Darwin Street . . ." Leo repeated slowly, a look of horror formed on his face "Darwin Street! Isn't that where April lives!?"

**End Chapter**

Okay! That's it for now. Please, please review!! I don't care if you're critical, I just want to know what you all think of it so far. Thanks guys!


	3. The brief meeting

Hello guys, sorry it took me so long to update. I had a bit of a pre-Christmas rush with friends over and everything. Anyways, a special thank-you to everyone who reviewed and I hope everyone who sees this has a Happy New Year.

**Chapter 2**

"Thank you guys for coming."

Leo gave a smile of appreciation as April handed him a steaming cup of tea. He, Raph and Don where sitting around April's lounge, a familiar place to be though not usually at this time of day. The turtles where use to visiting by night, when chances of being spotted where relatively smaller. "I guess Mikey didn't show up then." the young woman observed. She stood tall infront of the three sitting figures who all busied themselves with sipping tea. Various slurping noises erupted from the room. "He's sick." Don took a break to explain, he tried to recall the events that took place half an hour ago in the lair:

_"I'm coming too!" Mikey coughed as he struggled to sit up. His three brothers exchanged disapproving glances; they had all ventured into the young turtle's room to tell him the news. Consequently, they'd also cornered him in bed, leaving no space for Mikey to get out. "Maybe you should stay back this time." Leo suggested "We're only checking to see if April's okay, but from what we know, nothing's actually happened to her." It was no use. If there's anything Mikey hated, it's being left out of something. Feeling nauseated or not, he was going to go. "Don't worry, I'll live." he insisted, waiting for someone to move out of the way. No one did. "Mikey, you've contracted a cold." Don began; he took a closer observation by placing his palm on Mikey's forehead. "Looks like you've got a mild fever too, I think you should stay back." Mikey still seemed unconvinced, but was obviously finding it difficult to contradict a medical fact._

_"Mikey, just stay back." Raph orded bluntly, his arms where crossed. Infact, their arms where all crossed. Mikey suddenly felt like there was some sort of intimidation technique going on here, with his brothers standing over him like that. "Michealangelo." a soft voice came from behind them, Master Splinter walked through the door "I understand your concern for Miss O'Neil, but I'm sure your brothers alone can handle the situation. You on the other hand need to get some rest." He'd obviously been listening outside for a long time. "Aw." Mikey groaned and slumped back onto the mattress. How could he argue when his whole family was against him? "Fine." The youngest turtle finally answered, clearly not very happy about it. "Just make sure some one tells me what happened when you's get back."_

" . . . .So he'd probably be out of commission for a while." Don finished. He brought the cup to his chin and took another large sip; Raph took the opportunity to speak. "April, that Julia whatever girl we heard about on the news. You know her or something?" April was expecting the question; it's what she's been dying to speak to someone about ever since that morning. Ever since she found out Julia was . . .. "We where, almost friends." April answered. Her memory shifted back, back to four months ago, when a strange young woman had moved to her neighborhood.

_"Oh, let me help you with that!" April insisted. Without waiting for an answer, she threw herself onto what appeared to be the other end of a giant box. "Thank you." Breathed the person on the other end, her face was covered from April's position, "Please, help me move that to the steps." she said. With some difficulty the box was made to fit into an uncomfortably narrow corridor. "So, just moved in?" April asked, wiping her brow. She smiled warmly at her new neighbor, who (now that they've stepped back outside) seemed a few years older than herself. "Yeah, hi." the woman greeted, she mimicked April's action. "I assume you live around her –uh"_

_"April."_

_"-Oh. Oh yes April, would you excuse me?"_

_April allowed the stranger to pass her. She watched on in curiosity as the woman rushed to her car. She's attending to someone, April realized. A very young boy soon emerged from the back door. Four? Five years maybe? April guessed "Your son?" she asked. "Jamie." the woman finished for her as she dragged the reluctant boy towards April. "Sorry, he's a little shy around new people." The woman added. April laughed as Jamie hid behind his mother at the sight of her. She tried not to look too intimidating as she brought herself down to eye level with him. "Hi, I'm April. Nice to meet you." Jamie gasped and ducked even further, until he was out of sight. His mother started down at him with mild disappointment "Sorry Miss, as I said; he's very shy."_

_"No worries." April answered cheerfully, checking her watch. "Well, I'd better be going then." She started to leave, but then something hit her halfway down the path. "By the way." she called turning suddenly, "Since it looks like we'll soon be neighbors, can I know your name?" The woman seemed rather surprised at the question, April hopped she didn't offend her in any way. To her relief, the woman gave her a pleasant smile. "I'm Julia." she answered "And I guess I'll see you again sometime in the future."_

"So then, did you see or hear anything April?" Leo's voice immediately snapped her back to reality. April had sat herself down on the seat opposite the sofa. She knew the question was referring to the events of last night. "No." she signed tiredly. "Well, sort of. I fell asleep watching TV last night, I think I woke up again at around 12:30."

"You woke up?" Don asked curiously.

April leaned forwards and lowered her tone for a more dramatic effect, "I thought I heard a noise outside; like someone banging on the door or something." She lent back to her normal position, "I'm not sure how long it went on for. But when I checked, I saw nothing." April stopped and considered her own answer. "I guess I was tired." she finished. Leo and Raph nodded, Don thought over this. Of course April wouldn't have noticed anything; the crime scene was a few blocks down from her place, had the murder escaped, he would have avoided the main road as much as possible. But then, what's with the banging in the first place? Or was it totally unrelated?

"See, the reason I asked you guys over." April started in a hopeful tone "Is cause I have a favor to ask, uh" By then the three turtles had finished with their teas and where all looking at her with questioning eyes. Understandably, she felt a bit uncomfortable with the situation, but continued on all the same" –would you's . . . mind spending the night?"

"What, here?"

April nodded furiously. Raph recalled the time when he and his brothers stayed over at April's because of a jewelry store being robbed down the road. It had lead to the Nano incident, which was quite a story in itself. "We'd be happy to." Leo answered before he could. Don obviously agreed "We'll go back to the lair to get some supplies and tell Sensei." he said. "We should be back in an hour."

"That's okay." April replied. She got up and led the three to the backdoor, letting out a silent sign of relief. "I'll probably have some officers over later in the day. They might need to ask me a few questions. Just be back some time before sunset." It was Leo who opened the door; he stood far behind it, out of view then slowly extended his neck for a better look. There was no one in sight. "This way," he signaled his brothers. They followed. "Don't worry April." Don whispered as he exits the door, "We'll make sure nothing happens to you." The young woman gave a weak smile, "Thanks. I needed that." she whispered back.

April stood in the doorway long after her friends had gone. _I won't end up like Julia_, she thought determindly, retreating back to the lounge. Poor, dead Julia . . . and her son. The front doorbell caused her to jump in surprise. _Funny_, April thought, startled. _I wasn't expecting any questioning this early._ With caution, she peeped through the hole in her door. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. No one was there . . .as no one had been the night before. April suddenly felt the urge to call back the guys. Don, Leo and Raph, Oh! if only they hadn't left! _No, I'm being paranoid_, she told herself, _it can't be who I think it is. _"Who's there?" she asked out loud. There was no answer.

April gripped the handle,

_I must be wrong. . ._

she opened the door,

_It's a mistake. . ._

she stepped outside with frightening suddeness. Still no one. "Hello?" April yelled "Is anyone there?" she paced forwards a little, looking around. Unnoticed, two dark hands appeared behind her.

"Hello? Anyone?"

**End Chapter**

Okay, that's where I'll leave it. Hope you guys like the story so far!


	4. Leo's encounter

Hello everyone! I've noticed that some reviewers are already guessing who "The Watcher" is. Well, I'm not going to spoil the story, but I will tell you that he is not an official TMNT character (sorry guys.) But thanks to all who left reviews, it just really makes my day to read them. I hope everyone who reading this right now will enjoy "Leo's encounter" as much as I did writing it!

**Chapter 3**

April paced forwards a little, looking around. Unnoticed, two dark hands appeared behind her.

"Hello? Anyone?" she yelled.

The hands lunged.

Now, in that split second between when April realized there was someone behind her to when that person pulled her inside, she had a crucial decision to make. She could either, one; kick, scream and bite as hard as she could, or two; patiently allow herself to be dragged to her doom and then react . . . she went with the first one.

"Aah! Somebody help!" April shrieked as loud as her feminine vocal cords could allow her. She elbowed whoever had her in the gut three or four times. "Ow! Stop that!" a familiar voice yelled back. April whirled around, it was- "What are you doing here?" she screamed before pushing him inside. On the way in, they stumbled and fell in a pile on the floor. Luckily, April was a woman with wits as quick as greased lightening. Still piled up on the floor, she awkwardly used her free leg to slam the door shut before any curious neighbors could get a peep inside. Then, furious as hell, she turned to- "Mikey! What'd you do that for!?"

Mikey, groaning as he rubbed his stomach, was hesitant to reply. "Could we please have no more violence? I'm feeling a bit sensitive at the moment." April let out a long sign, how could she blame Mikey for being an idiot at times? He was Mikey after all. "Alright, what are you doing here?" she asked again "shouldn't you be sick in bed or something?" Mikey didn't answer, not really, but his face said something like "I know! That's why I sneaked out to meet up with you and my bros here. Didn't expect that now did ya?" They both got up at the same time and started dusting themselves. Pretty soon April found herself in the exact spot she sat ten minutes ago, only this time with Mikey facing her. "Are you sure you didn't see anything?" he asked, as if disappointed she didn't add some sort of flesh eating monster in her recount. "Mikey, I told you everything that happened." April replied boredly. "If you want to know more just ask your brothers. Wait, do they even know you're here?" Mikey brushed her worries aside. "They should, I left a note on the bed." he answered casually.

Meanwhile at the lair, Leo was pacing back and fourth with Mikey's note in his hands. "I can't believe he could just sneak off like that!" he fumed. Raph watched his brother from the couch with half a smirk on his face. Leo always acted like an angry guardian when it came to his younger siblings breaking the rules. Even Master Splinter wasn't that worked up; "I can." the he said patiently. "Look, it's no big deal." Don insisted. He was sitting next to Raph with his elbow on the arm rest, "All we have to do is get Mikey when we go back to April's tonight."

At this Leo stopped pacing, "That's not the point!" he snapped, holding the scrunched up piece of paper out for his brothers to see. "He should have known better." Don conveniently snatched the note and took a closer look at it. "Well, if he's good enough to sneak out without being noticed, at least we can say he's healthy." he replied. "Yeah, shouldn't you be happy Leo?" Raph added mockingly. Leo hesitated; it was easy to tell from his expression that he was torn between two different answers. "Uh- I'm going to get him." he said finally in a voice of defeat. "May I sensei?" Leo asked the meditating Splinter on the floor. "You may go." The old rat answered. "And return quickly; make sure your brother is not disrupting Miss O'Neil." With that, Leo bowed and set off. Behind him, Raph and Don knew their youngest sibling would soon be in for another "God will you grow up" lecture.

_In the shadows of the streets, a beast of a man lurked –hiding. His face hidden from all who passed him. Madness was in his eyes._

Leo sailed through the air silently, he held out his hand for balance; thus achieving another perfect landing. _There's April's place_ he thought, looking down at the apartment next to him. Everything seemed perfectly normal, no Mikey visible, no gathering crowd. Leo signed in relief, but he knew it wasn't over yet. Somehow, he also had to get himself in without being noticed, and that wasn't gonna be easy. A young couple walked passed the building Leo was on, chattering noisily. He quickly ducked out of site. _I'll have to use the back door again_, he thought wisely. Quietly, he prepared to leap off the building onto a narrow stairway below. But something stopped him. Leo squinted through the dark shadows between the two apartments; yes it was there. Someone was moving behind a stack of old boxes on one side. Moving towards April's window. Ever so slowly, Leo reached for one katana. It was impossible to see the person clearly from that position, but he was prepared to get a better look.

Patiently, Leo waited on the roof. He couldn't attack just yet, not until he was sure the mysterious figure was actually spying on his friend. The man below closed in on the window. Leo watched, holding his breath. Then he saw something that made his heart stop. The dark figure reached into his waistcoat and drew an object that flashed in the sunlight. A knife!? That was the call. But just before Leo could throw himself down at the man, April's back door swung open "I'll see you later then!" he heard Mikey call from the inside. The shadowy figure fled immediately, too quick for any soul to even catch a glimpse of him. "Darn it!" Leo cursed, leaping down from the roof. He landed right infront of a surprised Mikey, who was just out of the door. "Hey Leo, what are you-" Leo pushed right past his brother and raced down the alley to where the dark figure went. He turned the corner, one katana raised in his hand. The man was no where to be seen.

"He couldn't have gone far!" Leo muttered to himself, he was just about to give chase when he felt Mikey grab him around the shoulders. "Woah, easy bro! That way leads to an open street!" the younger turtle warned, at the same time pulling his brother away. Leo turned back, staring at Mikey dangerously "You're an idiot! Couldn't you have waited one second!?" he yelled at his dumbfounded sibling. "Er . . ." a nervous voice broke the silence from behind them. The two brothers both dropped what they where doing and turned to the rather confused April, standing a good distance away from them. She stepped forward cautiously, "Leo? Guys what's going on?" Mikey suddenly regained his speech "Ask him!" he cried, pointing accusingly at Leo "Gees, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." Leo glared at him, but his anger was already subsiding. It wasn't Mikey's fault that he alerted the dark figure after all, more like the works of plain bad luck. "You two better get inside." he instructed in a serious tone, "I have something to tell you."

"Someone was trying to sneak in through my window!?" April cried in alarm, she almost lost her balance sitting on the arm of her sofa. Leo nodded uncomfortably, trying to avoid eye contact. He had considered not telling the young woman for fear of causing her to panic, but then decided it was best to speak the truth. Mikey sat beside him, staring with wide eyes "So that's why you where so worked up back then." he recalled. "I could have caught him." Leo replied darkly. "I shouldn't have let him get away." By then April had regained herself. "It wasn't anyone's fault." she assured, her voice was still a bit high. "But now that we know this, you guys think I should contact the police?" Leo pondered a bit. This was definitely not something to be ignored, but with the police around, it would be a lot harder for him and his brothers to protect April. _Then again_, he thought, _maybe the officers would be more intimidating to whoever that person was then we are._ "I think you should." he agreed in the end "The police department should have profiles on many thugs in this area, probably also that man. They may be able to help you out."

"Wait, hold on Leo." Mikey interrupted, "Are you saying we should just leave all this behind us and let the nice men with guns handle it?" Leo gave Mikey an irritable look. "All I'm saying is that some extra help won't hurt." he answered, then to April he said "Don't worry, we're still here to help if you need us." April nodded, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, a soft tapping sounded at the door. The noise made the three jump. "Wait here" April whispered, "Let me see who it is first." "It must be that man with the knife" Mikey croaked before getting kicked in the shins by Leo. Meanwhile, April peeped thought the tiny glass lens in her door. She drew a sharp breath then hurriedly signaled for the guys to hide. In less then a second, the two had disappeared from view. After checking all was well, April opened the front door.

A tall, mildly built man stood before her. From Leo's place upstairs, he could tell the man had dirty blond hair, but April's head blocked his face. Mikey, having a slightly different view, could see that the man had a youthful appearance. Infact, he looked no older than April. He was dressed in a shabby, brown tuxedo with a pen and notepad in one hand. The other was currently used to adjust his tie. The young man cleared his throat "Good afternoon Miss O'Neil. I'm detective Underwood." he held out his hand, April shook it politely. "Nice to meet you Mr. Underwood. This way detective." she signaled. Leo and Mikey watched in silence as April lead her guest to the lounge. But something was strange, both April and Underwood had a particular look on their faces. Mikey couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it wasn't negative in any way. It seemed more like some sort of confusion instead. Maybe they where related somehow? "You want something to drink?" April's question disrupted his thoughts. "Ah, yes please!" the young man said. Mikey shook his head, was he imaging things or what? These two have never met in their lives.

Leo watched April depart into the kitchen, then he focused on that Underwood man. He seemed a lot more nervous than he should be. _His new job perhaps?_ Leo thought. After a closer observation, gut instinct told him that was not the man he saw earlier in the day. This guy just doesn't seem like the type who'd sneak around a woman's house. Meanwhile, Underwood was inspecting his surroundings. His eyes focused on something he didn't see when he first came in; a framed scholarship award April had received in earlier years. Underwood got up and read it carefully. "April . . ." he recited as if in deep thought, "April . . ."

"Oh detective!" April suddenly came running in "I seem to have run out of tea. Would you mind coke instead?" She stopped abruptly when she saw her guest was no longer seated. "Um, Mr. Underwood?" she called unsurely. The detective turned to face her, he looked her up and down. Then, to April's (and the turtle's) surprise, his face lit up like a torch. "Of-course!" he cried, snapping his fingers "I knew I've heard of that name! It's April isn't it? April from Hampton High?" At this, Leo and Mikey exchanged a look of awe. "He knows her!?" Mikey whispered harshly. Leo shushed him with his hand; the two looked on, wondering what would happen next. All this time, April had been staring blankly at the strange blond man who had now moved uncomfortably close to her. Suddenly it struck her also. "Lance!" she gasped "Lance Underwood from class B! Oh my God, is that really you?" The man before her laughed joyously "The last time I'd seen you, you still had pigtails!" Leo and Mike exchanged glances again. "Pigtails?" Mikey mouthed, Leo simply shrugged. "Oh! Oh-oh, well sit down." April spluttered with excitement. "I-I thought you moved to California in year eleven, what are you doing now? –I mean, here?" By then, it was obvious to Leo that the two people down there had totally forgotten the actual purpose of their meeting. "You might want to get comfortable." he warned his brother. "This could go on for a while."

Two hours later, after learning Lance had moved back to New York thanks to his stepfather, gotten the job as an officer, then a detective, was now living in a rented apartment near the east side of the city, is good at baseball, once owned a dog named Bill etc. The two brothers where convinced that their good friend April had completely forgotten their existence. "Maybe I could throw something at them?" Mikey suggested. "No!" Leo snapped in annoyance. Mikey blinked, signed, then got up and started pacing around. "Mikey, what are you doing!?" Leo hissed through clenched teeth. "Get down or he'll see you!" "Don't worry," Mikey replied boredly, "I actually doubt they'll notice if a plane was to explode in mid air, break into a thousand pieces and one of it's giant wings was to crash down right in here next to them in the middle of the lounge." Leo slapped his forehead in hopeless frustration. "Aw, you're just upset cause you know it's true." Mikey laughed. Then he stopped and dropped down immediately, his face suddenly serious. Leo could see why; the back door was opening by itself! "You didn't lock it?" he whispered furiously. "Oops." Mikey squeaked he hurriedly grabbed his nunchakus. "Hold it!" Leo ordered, "Let's see who it is first."

The backdoor opened fully. To both Leo and Mikey's relief, they saw a tall, slightly tanned man with long, dark hair step in. Not to Lance though; he had just spotted a complete stranger walk into his old friend's home. "Who are you!?" the young detective demanded, shoving April behind him protectively. It was a natural reaction really, after all there was a serial killer going around. But just that one action was enough to get Casey Jones's blood boiling. "What do you mean; "who are you?" Who the hell are you!?" he replied angrily. "I'm detective Underwood." Lance answered coldly, "And whoever you are, you're now a prime suspect for my case. I hope you're ready cause I'm taking you under custody" Casey's faced filled with anger. He had only come to check if April's okay after seeing that Julia woman's death on the news. And now he was began accused of attempted murder by this son of a- "You can't do that!" he hissed viciously. Safely hidden out of view, Mikey could almost make out the static sparks of aggression forming between the two men. "This is gonna get ugly." he whispered to a gaping Leo.

At the same time, April was also left gaping on the sofa, totally dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. "Uh, no Lance –I mean detective Underwood." She managed to say after finding her voice. "That's Casey Jones! He's my friend." She got up and moved in between the too (just in case) "Casey, meet Lance Underwood. Lance, Casey" Casey growled, Lance just continued to stare at him in a way that resembled a tiger right before it ripped off some poor, unfortunate creature's head. April bit her lip; she had to do something! Fast! "Oh, look at the time!" she cried suddenly with exaggerated shock. "Detective Underwood would you mind if we continued questioning tomorrow?" "Sure, why not." Lance replied calmly, not taking his eyes off Casey. "Well then you'd better get going!" April sang, giving him a slight push -then a big one. She had forgotten all about mentioning the window incident that seemed so important a few hours ago. "See you tomorrow!" she shouted at the doorway "Bye!"

Upstairs, Leo and Mike heard the door slam April scream in fury and then a loud thud. "I think she killed him." Mikey whispered; of-course Leo smacked him in the head. Downstairs, April was still trying to catch her breath after stomping all her rage into the floorboard. "Why didn't you knock!" she demanded with great emphasis on the "why". "Uh, it wasn't locked?" Casey replied, suddenly feeling endangered. "Arrg! That was so embarrassing!" April snapped her face going red, she marched straight up to Casey and poked him in the chest with each word she spoke. "This is my house! I you can't just go in and out like that!" she yelled. Casey retreated "Woah, Woah! Easy there lady. It's not like I meant any harm." As he turned to flee, he was met by the two turtles coming down from the steps. "Yo, Mikey! Leo!" Casey greeted them in surprise. "Since when where you guys here?" (he then quickly ducked behind them as he heard April coming.) Before Leo could explain, another gentle knocking sounded –at the backdoor this time. The three guys stared at the wooden door, which vibrated a tiny bit with each knock it took. "Um, I think it's for you." Mikey gestured to April, who'd just walked into the room. "Oh no. What now?' she signed tiredly, pulling back her hair. _I don't even have time to loose my temper anymore!_

**End Chapter**

Okay, that's it! Thank you for reading. Just on a special note, I will be changing the summery to "The Watcher" when I submit my next chapter, but I'll keep the name so you'll still recognize the story. This is just to keep up to date with the plot see. Well, till next time then!


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